Land & environment

Nanarup has been chosen as the site for the proposed small scale seawater desalination plant, a vital project that will secure the Lower Great Southern region's water future and support its continued growth. Planning for a new, climate-resilient water source began in 2009, with seven potential locations identified between Walpole in the west and areas 50 kilometres east of Albany.

The Murray Valley Highway was re-opened to the public on Monday following the completion of post fire repairs and hazardous tree works in the aftermath of the Walwa-Mt Lawson blaze. However, motorists are being urged to use caution when travelling on the road and to adhere to changed traffic conditions including speed restrictions ... Incident Controller, Tim Gazzard, said fire-affected trees continue to pose an ongoing risk to the community well after a fire has passed.

Continued above-average daytime and overnight temperatures and below average rainfall for parts of central and south-east Australia are likely from February to April, according to the Bureau of Meteorology's latest long-range forecast ... "Some areas have an increased chance of unusually high maximum temperatures (over 50 per cent chance), including Tasmania, much of Western Australia, and parts of the east," the bureau said.

Australia's largest water reform, the Murray Darling Basin Plan, was sold to communities as a balanced, adaptable plan, with a triple bottom line of communities, agriculture, and the environment, and supposedly based on the best available science. Unfortunately, nothing appeared further from the truth.

"I have never experienced fire behaviour like it on the ground," Jarrod said, and the weight of those decades of experience makes the statement hit harder. "The first day we experienced temperatures of about 62 degrees on the top of the hill, 108 kilometre an hour winds."

New data has revealed the NSW Government is contributing just ‘bits of bacon’ to the desperate effort to curb feral pigs, the state’s peak farm body says. Media reports of 53,000 feral pigs culled by authorities over the past year were dwarfed by the estimated tens of millions of the pests farmers were reporting in the paddock, NSW Farmers’ President Xavier Martin said.

Sam Starcevich - Farmer Across Borders gives us the latest from the road. Plus your weekly farming weather and all of your rural news.

Founder of Summer Spirit, Summer Adams, was named Highly Commended in the Young Citizen of the Year category for her remarkable commitment to wildlife conservation, community service and youth empowerment ... Scarlett Cheetham was nominated for Young Citizen of the Year, in recognition of her longstanding commitment to kindness, volunteering, and environmental and marine conservation initiatives.

Geopolitics remains the "dominant risk factor" for Australian agriculture in the year ahead, Rabobank says in its newly-released annual outlook, with the prospect that fast-changing global trade rules and volatile commodity prices are set to continue.

Daniel Puentes. Donald's venue for Australia Day was the pool; a welcome change, as the summer heat was no joke on the day. As the venue opened, people came and set up their chairs and prepared for a fantastic day at the pool. At 10 a.m., the emcee, Chloe Frank gathered everyone's attention for the singing of the national anthem and the reading of the pledge.

Michelle Daw. Environment Minister Lucy Hood has called a hastily arranged community forum at Corny Point this week, following growing criticism of the state government's handling of the harmful algal bloom affecting southern Yorke Peninsula ... Public frustration escalated over the weekend following reported comments by Premier Peter Malinauskas, who stated the algal bloom was "non-existent in most of the state" — remarks that have drawn strong backlash from affected coastal communities.

Madison Eastmond. Additional hot-weather measures are being adopted by Riverland schools, as students brave an intense heatwave – including yesterday's 49C scorcher – for the first week of the 2026 school year ... "This is definitely the hottest beginning of a school year we have had in a while," said Barmera Primary School principal Jayne Foulds.

Cane toads are predicted to invade Western Australia’s Pilbara region by 2041 if left unchecked, but the Northern Territory’s population of the pests hold key lessons that could save billions in eradication costs ... academics found the toxic creatures could colonise three quarters of the Pilbara, threatening 25 native species in the biodiversity hotspot.

Without agriculture, hundreds of millions of people would go hungry every day. Yet modern agriculture is increasingly judged not just on how much food it produces — but on how well it stores carbon, protects biodiversity, and reduces emissions. Farmers are being asked to deliver food, climate solutions and conservation outcomes, while still running profitable businesses.

A Lancelin based shark fisher says there has been no commercial fishing in the West Coast bioregion between Lancelin and Tims Thicket (south of Mandurah) for nearly 20 years ... Mr Stokke, who also partners with his brother in a western rock lobster boat, said he thought the ban was probably targeting the wet liners but they (the shark fishers) were thrown under the bus with them.

The generosity of locals has been on display over the past week as truckloads of hay have been donated, stockpiled and delivered to fire-affected regions within Victoria.

When bushfires roared through Koolewong on December 6, Katie Greene's home was the only one left standing in a row of six houses. She has issued a stark reminder to other home owners to make sure their houses are bushfire safe.

The Murray-Darling Association 2025 National Conference saw its new Strategic Plan unveiled, building on the direction of Vision 2025. Narrandera Shire Council was represented by Cr Jenny Clarke, who presented a report to the Council recently.

Ausnet repair crews have been acknowledged by the community for the rapid response in rebuilding the electricity network in the wake of the Walwa-River Road bushfire despite facing tough terrain, high temperatures and even lightning and hailstorms.